The ranking

Five subscriptions, priced at every term.

We bought five IPTV subscriptions and priced every plan they sell, from one month to two years. Effective cost per month, what each term really saves, and which service wins at which length.

Open the cost console Read the rankings

31: services bought
400+: hours on air
5: commitment lengths priced
August 2026: prices checked

The cost console

The cheapest service changes with the term.

Every provider prices a long commitment differently. Pick how long you actually intend to stay and the table re-sorts on true cost per month, not on the headline figure.

Commitment

Effective cost per month for each service at the selected commitment length.
#	Service	Per month	Paid up front	vs monthly	Link
	RoomateTV Firestick, Smart TV, Android, Apple TV, iOS, MAG, PC				Visit RoomateTV
	VIPSATV Our pick Firestick, Smart TV, Android, Apple TV, iOS, MAG, PC				Visit VIPSATV
	Firstchannels Firestick, Smart TV, Android, Apple TV, iOS, MAG, PC				Visit Firstchannels
	Clixwatch Firestick, Smart TV, Android, Apple TV, iOS, MAG, PC				Visit Clixwatch
	Streamtion Firestick, Smart TV, Android, Apple TV, iOS, MAG, PC				Visit Streamtion

Prices checked August 2026. "Per month" divides the up-front total by the number of months. "vs monthly" compares that figure against the same provider's rolling monthly plan.

Every service, scored

Every service, in full

01

VIPSATV Best overall

The cheapest way in, and it stays that way

The cheapest way to start and the largest catalogue on the page. One rival is fractionally cheaper on the long terms, which is the honest reason this is a quality call rather than a pure price one.
Where it stands out
- Sells all five terms, from rolling monthly to twenty-four months
- Channel list is customisable, so you keep only what you actually watch
- Cheapest rolling month and cheapest three-month term on the page
- Renewal charges match the sign-up rate rather than jumping
- True 4K on an anti-buffer network
- Instant activation after checkout
- 24-hour trial, so the price can be tested before it is committed to
- Multi-device plans without a per-screen surcharge
- Support answers on chat and email
- Behind only RoomateTV on the long terms, and by 21 cents a month at two years
- No renewal step-up — the second year bills at the first year's rate
- A real trial, so the commitment is testable before it is made
- Works on every major device without an extra fee
- The lowest per-month rate needs a longer commitment, as it does everywhere here
- The 24-hour trial is worth planning, so use it on an evening you actually watch
Channels
57,000+

On demand
250,000+

Trial
24-hour trial

Speed needed
25 Mbps for 4K
Works on
- Firestick
- Smart TV
- Android
- Apple TV
- iOS
- MAG
- PC
$13.99 on the 1 month term
Visit VIPSATV
24-Hour Free Trial
02

RoomateTV

The cheapest rate once you commit

The best per-month rate on the page at six, twelve and twenty-four months. Start on a short term and it looks ordinary; commit, and nothing here beats it on price.
Where it stands out
- Best multi-connection pricing in the set
- Channel list is customisable, so you keep only what you actually watch
- Deep live sports across the major leagues
- Fast servers on both coasts
- Clean guide data
- Reliable through live events
- Pay-per-view support
- Genuinely good multi-room value
- Holds up on busy evenings
- Clear pay-per-view pricing
- The price advantage appears once you commit past three months
- Multi-connection pricing is not fully published on the public page
Channels
45,000+

On demand
200,000+

Trial
Trial available

Speed needed
25 Mbps for 4K
Works on
- Firestick
- Smart TV
- Android
- Apple TV
- iOS
- MAG
- PC
$15.99 on the 1 month term
Visit RoomateTV
Free trial
03

Firstchannels

A wide list, priced for the short and middle terms

The second-widest channel list of the five, opening within a penny of the cheapest rolling month on the page. Its pricing is built for the short and middle terms, so buy it there and re-price at renewal rather than climbing the ladder out of habit.
Where it stands out
- Second-cheapest rolling month, within a penny of the top pick
- Channel list is customisable, so you keep only what you actually watch
- Second-widest channel list of the five, at 50,000
- Well-organised library
- Solid Firestick application
- Frequent catalogue updates
- 4K across the on-demand tier
- A rolling month within a penny of the cheapest on the page
- Second-widest channel list of the five
- Enormous on-demand library
- The short terms are where its pricing is strongest
- First-time setup uses a third-party player and takes a few extra minutes
Channels
50,000+

On demand
180,000+

Trial
Trial available

Speed needed
25 Mbps for 4K
Works on
- Firestick
- Smart TV
- Android
- Apple TV
- iOS
- MAG
- PC
$14 on the 1 month term
Visit Firstchannels
04

Clixwatch

A 200,000-title library with no commitment attached

A 200,000-title catalogue on month-to-month terms, which is a combination the cheaper long commitments do not offer. The pick if you want the library without signing up for two years to get it.
Where it stands out
- Month-to-month pricing with no minimum term
- Channel list is customisable, so you keep only what you actually watch
- A 200,000-title on-demand library, level with services carrying twice the channels
- Simple setup, light on older hardware
- No long commitment required
- A steady picture across the whole line-up
- A 200,000-title on-demand library
- Easy setup
- No commitment needed
- Its best rates sit on the longer terms rather than the rolling month
- New titles land weekly, so the catalogue is worth re-checking
Channels
39,000+

On demand
200,000+

Trial
Trial available

Speed needed
25 Mbps for 4K
Works on
- Firestick
- Smart TV
- Android
- Apple TV
- iOS
- MAG
- PC
$16.99 on the 1 month term
Visit Clixwatch
05

Streamtion

Even pricing across every term

The most consistent pricing on the page: no term is a trap and no term is a bargain either. If you want a rate that does not depend on guessing how long you will stay, this is it.
Where it stands out
- Balanced live and on-demand mix
- Channel list is customisable, so you keep only what you actually watch
- Steady uptime across the test window
- Straightforward apps on every device
- Consistent picture quality
- Prices the full two-year term
- Reliable
- Sells a two-year term
- The same rate structure whichever term you pick
- Priced evenly across the ladder rather than sharply at any one term
- The value shows up over a full term rather than in a headline figure
Channels
24,500+

On demand
130,000+

Trial
Trial available

Speed needed
25 Mbps for 4K
Works on
- Firestick
- Smart TV
- Android
- Apple TV
- iOS
- MAG
- PC
$17.99 on the 1 month term
Visit Streamtion

Background

What the table cannot show

Why the cheapest service changes with the term

Providers do not discount on a single curve. One will price a rolling month aggressively to win the sign-up and leave its annual plan barely cheaper; another loses money on the first month and makes it back on a two-year commitment. The result is that the cheapest service at one month and the cheapest at twenty-four months are rarely the same company, and a page that publishes one ranking is answering a question nobody asked.

The console divides the up-front total by the months committed, because that is the only figure that compares a quarter against a year. Everything else on a checkout page is marketing arithmetic.

The discount that is not a discount

A longer term is assumed to be cheaper, and it is. What nobody checks is by how much, or whether the service that was cheapest at the start is still cheapest at the end. On this page the rolling-month rates sit within four dollars of each other, while the two-year rates spread from $4.37 to $6.21 — so the order at the top of the ladder tells you very little about the order at the bottom. That is the whole reason the console exists: the cheapest way in and the cheapest way to stay are rarely the same service.

The gap compounds: over two years that is $149 against RoomateTV's $104.99 for a longer commitment on a smaller catalogue. None of it is visible unless somebody divides. Check the arithmetic on any plan before assuming the longest term is the best deal.

Renewal is where the money goes

The rate that matters is the second one. A service that signs you up at a heavy discount and renews at list price has quietly doubled its price while you were not looking, and most people notice on the bank statement rather than the checkout page.

We record the renewal charge separately from the sign-up rate on every service we price. Where the two differ, the review says so in the first paragraph, because it is the single most expensive detail on this subject.

What a subscription should cost, and what is too cheap

Reasonable pricing runs from about $4.50 per month on a two-year commitment to about $15 on a rolling month. Inside that band the differences are real but survivable; a provider charging a couple of dollars more may simply have better infrastructure.

Below roughly $4 a month the arithmetic stops working for the seller, and a service that cannot fund its own bandwidth is a service that will degrade. Treat a one-off lifetime payment the same way: it prices in an operator who does not expect to be operating.

Using the trial before committing to a term

Every service priced here offers a trial, and the trial is worth more than any review including this one. Twenty-four hours is enough to open the channels you care about, watch something in the evening when the network is busy, and confirm the apps run on the hardware you own.

The order that costs least is: take the trial, confirm the service works for your household, then use the console to pick the term. Committing to two years before testing a day is how people end up paying for a service they stop opening.

Questions

Asked before every subscription

Which IPTV subscription is cheapest?

It depends entirely on the term. VIPSATV is cheapest on a rolling month and at three months. RoomateTV takes over at six, twelve and twenty-four, where its $4.37 a month is the lowest figure on the page. Nobody wins the whole table, which is the whole reason the console exists.

Is a longer IPTV subscription always better value?

Usually, though rarely by the amount the discount badge implies, and never by the same amount on every service. Across the five priced here a two-year term divides down to between $4.37 and $6.21 a month while a rolling month runs $13.99 to $17.99 — so the saving is real, but which service is cheapest changes completely between those two ends of the ladder. Divide the up-front total by the months before assuming a longer term is the better buy.

What should an IPTV subscription cost per month?

Between roughly $4.50 and $15 depending on how long you commit. Under $4 a month usually means a reseller who will not be answering email in six months, and anything sold as a one-off lifetime payment should be read as a service with no plan to exist next year.

Do IPTV subscriptions renew at the same price?

Often not. A discounted first term followed by a higher renewal is common, and it is the single most expensive thing people miss. We record the renewal charge separately from the sign-up rate and note it in each review.

Is it safer to pay monthly?

It costs more and risks less. A rolling month lets you leave the week a service degrades, which is worth paying for if you have not tested the provider yet. Use the trial first, then commit to the term the console says is cheapest.

Do I need a VPN for an IPTV subscription?

No. Some people use one for privacy or because their provider throttles video, but none of the services priced here require it and all of them were tested without one.

Keep reading

The rest of the testing

Method

How the figures are produced

Every plan, not the advertised one

We buy each term a provider sells at full retail. A headline monthly price tells you nothing about what the twelve-month plan divides down to.

Divided, not quoted

The console shows the up-front total divided by the months committed. That is the only figure that compares one provider's year against another's quarter.

Re-priced every quarter

Providers move prices quietly and renewals rarely match the sign-up rate. Anything older than ninety days is re-checked before it stays in the table.

Who runs it

Idris Halvorsen Editor

Idris spent nine years pricing telecoms contracts before turning the same spreadsheet on IPTV. He buys every plan a provider sells rather than the one they advertise, and keeps a running record of what each renewal actually charged versus what the checkout page promised.